Q Ms. Reno, there are two significant pieces of
litigation which are part of the legacy of your tenure here
at the Justice Department. One is the defense in the Microsoft
appeal. The other is the tobacco litigation.

Are you confident that both of these major pieces of
litigation will continue, no matter what happens or what
administration takes office on January 20th?

ATTY GEN. RENO: I would very much hope that in reviewing
the Microsoft litigation, those that had
to make the decision would see how important it is to ensure
competition, to give the consumers of America
an opportunity to pick and choose, and to get the best deal.

And with respect to the tobacco litigation, I would hope
that whoever has to make the decision would
recognize that we owe it to the taxpayers to try to recoup.

Q Ms. Reno, where are you on the recommendation for Mr.
Garza, the clemency matter?

Q Can you describe, though, for us the mechanics of how,
you know, that gets transmitted to him?

ATTY GEN. RENO: I don't think that would be appropriate,
but I will ask Myron to tell you whatever might be.

Q Attorney General Reno, the Justice Department has
dispatched a number of officials down to Florida
to look into allegations made by the NAACP and others. Could
you give us some idea why you decided to
send folks down there now and what you hope to accomplish or
achieve through that?

ATTY GEN. RENO: As I have said on a number of occasions,
we're reviewing each matter to
determine whether it would be appropriate for us to proceed,
and that is part of that effort.

Q Can you elaborate little bit? I think it's a matter of
great public interest, considering the level of
protest.

If you can just elaborate a little bit beyond that
and give us a sense of --

ATTY GEN. RENO: As each complaint comes in, we are
reviewing it to determine whether it would be
appropriate to proceed with federal jurisdiction or, as are
most of these matters, is it a matter of state law
relating to the conduct of the investigation.

Q What matters are you looking into down there?

ATTY. GEN. RENO: As you know, I don't discuss pending
matters.

Q You can't --

Q Jesse Jackson said that he met with you last Friday to
discuss some of the allegations, and that
immediately thereafter you had dispatched two Civil Rights
Division attorneys there; or that's the way it
appeared, anyway. Can you say whether or not that action was
the result of your conversation with him or
the concerns that he expressed?

ATTY. GEN. RENO: I don't comment on investigations --

Q All right, then I'll ask this --

ATTY. GEN. RENO: -- except to say that I try to do it, in
any matter, based on what's right.

I
explained to Reverend Jackson the same thing I've explained to
you.

Q Okay. Well, shortly after his meeting with you he said
that the Justice Department appeared to be
doing too little too late.

ATTY. GEN. RENO: That's what he told me.

Q What do you think of that comment? Huh?

ATTY. GEN. RENO: That's what he told me. (Laughter.)

Q What did you say?

ATTY. GEN. RENO: I told him what I just told you.

Q Ms. Reno, can you tell us --

ATTY. GEN. RENO: I think it's very important that we do
this the right way, carefully, recognizing state
jurisdiction, understanding what the issues are and doing it
very, very thoughtfully and very carefully.

Q Did you think the criticism that the Justice Department
is doing too much too late -- too little too late
-- is unfair?

ATTY. GEN. RENO: I don't comment on the unfairness of
criticism with respect to what we do,
because that gets into the subject matter.

Q Ms. Reno, can you tell us whether any of these
complaints has risen to a matter for federal review?

ATTY. GEN. RENO: As I indicated, we're reviewing the
complaints.

Q But you can't tell us whether any of those matters has
-- in the course of those review, whether any of
those matters has risen to the level of a federal interest or
the interest of the department?

ATTY. GEN. RENO: Well, I think what you're trying to say,
Has any of those matters that we are
reviewing and that are of interest to the department as a
matter of review, have they risen to the level of an
investigation?

Q Yes.

ATTY. GEN. RENO: Is that a good way of expressing --

Q That's -- absolutely.

ATTY. GEN. RENO: Then I would say that it would be
inappropriate for me to comment. (Laughter.)

Q Can you say whether the personnel who were dispatched
to Florida are looking specifically at the
NAACP's complaint, or whether they have a broader -- broader
mandate?

ATTY GEN. RENO: They try to look at all the concerns that
have been expressed, both by the
NAACP and others.

Q Ms. Reno, without commenting specifically on the Garza
case, can you talk about the notion of
balancing your concerns about the racial and geographic
disparities, and the administration of what is the
law on the books on death penalty?

ATTY GEN. RENO: Well, one of the things is the law does
not permit inappropriate discrimination
based on race or ethnic background. And I don't think -- I
mean, that is inconsistent with every principle
that this nation holds dear. And we want to make sure, as we
look at it, that race and ethnicity have not
been an inappropriate factor.

Q Ms. Reno, on the day that the statistical study was
released back in September, you said that you
didn't feel like a moratorium on federal executions was
justified by what you knew at that time.

Do you
continue to feel that way?

ATTY GEN. RENO: I have seen nothing yet, but I have not
reviewed the material that has just come in
from the districts concerning cases that were not presented to
the attorney general for review.

And so,
again, I want to look at it very carefully.

Q Ms. Reno, have you been asked by either the Bush or the
Gore campaign to begin doing background
checks on any officials or nominees?

ATTY GEN. RENO: We have not received any request -- any
completed application yet, as I
understand it.

Q On the death penalty thing, do you have any idea when
you might --

ATTY GEN. RENO: What death penalty "thing?"

Q (Laughs.) Sorry. On the matter of the moratorium, do
you have any sense -- first, do you have any
sense when you might have enough information; when you might
complete reviewing that information?

ATTY GEN. RENO: I would not comment on it until I've
determined what our position is.

Q Secondly, what is your judgment of the detrimental
impact of putting an across-the-board moratorium
on federal executions?

ATTY GEN. RENO: I have not addressed that issue yet in
terms of making any decisions, so I couldn't
answer your question.

So far as I know, it's a what-if.

Q Ms. Reno --

Q But you don't have a reason for not having -- not
wanting to support it so far.

ATTY GEN. RENO: I have not seen a basis for supporting it
thus far.

Q (When ?) is it appropriate to proceed with the
consideration of the Garza case in the absence of a
review of these latest numbers and figures and information
that's come in from the districts?

ATTY GEN. RENO: We will review it to see whether that
would be relevant.

Q Well, do you have time to review all of that
information between now and next Tuesday?

ATTY GEN. RENO: I'm going to make sure that I have the
time.

Q Ms. Reno, who would believe that a month after the
election, we would not have a resolution to that
election?

And that points toward the possibility of your
having to stay on for some days or weeks, or does
your tenure stop at the 20th of January?

ATTY GEN. RENO: Well, I intend to submit my resignation
so that whoever is -- has the authority can
make what decision they want. As I've said for a long time
now, I think it's time for somebody else to have
the opportunity to make the judgments about what's right and
what's not right.

Q Ms. Reno, the hearings on Capitol Hill going on
regarding the Houston office of the Drug
Enforcement Agency and allegations that improper pressure was
used to cut an investigation short, could
you give us your perspective on that matter as attorney
general?

ATTY GEN. RENO: What we tried to do when we heard that
was to make sure that everything was
fully considered by the inspector general, and I asked the
inspector general to review it completely.

Q And where do things stand in that review?

ATTY GEN. RENO: It's pending.

Q Pending.

Q But is it -- go ahead --

Q Well, on that subject, the OPR cleared the agents of
the allegations that they had improperly --
engaged in improper conduct during the investigation. And at
the hearing that he mentioned, they pointed
repeatedly to the fact that Maxine Waters, the congresswoman
from California, had sent you a letter based
on information that came only from the target of the
investigation and that the target of the investigation
complained to Maxine Waters, who complained to Attorney
General Reno, who then called the DEA, and
shortly thereafter the investigation was halted.

Is that your interpretation of what happened?

ATTY GEN. RENO: I can't say what happened after I got the
call --

Q Well, what did you intend when you called the DEA or
wrote to the DEA, or --

ATTY GEN. RENO: One of the things I want to do is make
sure that I don't prejudge this for the
inspector general.

And so I have just made sure that he
reviews it and pursues it in whatever direction it's
taken.

Q Have you called for any dismissals of employees or --
in connection with this matter, or brought about
the dismissal of employees in the -- at any level in the
Justice Department or DEA?

ATTY GEN. RENO: I would love to be able to comment, but I
think it's better for the inspector general
to make sure that I don't prejudge any matter.

Q Well, this -- (off mike) -- this is asking about
something that's already occurred, without being
specific, so we don't get into personnel matters.

ATTY GEN. RENO: What I've tried to do is make sure that
the allegations that are swirling around are
investigated carefully, thoughtfully, without the
investigation being conducted in the headlines.

And I think
that's the best way to do it.

Q Ms. Reno, has -- back to the Garza matter.

Has the
president given you any sense of the time frame
of his decision?

As Beverly mentioned a moment ago, Tuesday is
the date specific.

Do you have any sense
of how this is going to be resolved, in terms of time frame?

ATTY GEN. RENO: I don't think it's appropriate to talk
about time frame.

I wouldn't want to --

Q Just to clarify the issue of the moratorium question on
the death penalty, are you saying that you are
willing to review the question of whether there should be a
moratorium? Your comments today and last
week seemed less definitive than in the past about -- that
there is no need for a moratorium.

Are you saying
that that is a question on the table, that you're willing to
open that door?

ATTY GEN. RENO: I have tried, for as long as I've been in
Washington, to leave doors open to any
consideration that is appropriate.

I don't want to mislead you
in terms of any timing or anything.

I just am going to try to call it based on what I have,
what I know, what I think I can learn, and do it
accordingly.

Q Is it unfair at all to possibly the defendant himself,
but certainly to the victims' families, for this decision
to go down so close to the wire?

ATTY. GEN. RENO: I think in any instance like this, it's
terribly difficult for victims' families, and I want
to do everything I can to address that issue, but it is also
very important that when you carry out the death
penalty, if you do, it is done correctly.

Q Ms. Reno, in regard to Mr. Garza, he was convicted, if
I remember, of being a drug kingpin who
ordered the murders of subordinates in furtherance of his drug
trafficking.

Do you know of any other
convicted defendant with -- defendant convicted of those
actions, regardless of ethnic background, who
wasn't sentenced to death?

ATTY. GEN. RENO: I would not comment on the facts.

Q But is this what you're looking for as part of your
review, to see if maybe white or black defendants --

ATTY. GEN. RENO: I don't think it would be appropriate
for me to comment in terms of what I will
recommend to the president.

Q On another clemency matter, have you made a
recommendation yourself to the president regarding
Leonard Peltier?

ATTY. GEN. RENO: The department has, but I don't comment
on the process.

Q Is this a recent recommendation?

ATTY. GEN. RENO: I don't comment on the process.

Q Do you feel that, as attorney general and the ultimate
supervisor of FBI agents, that you can say
anything more than you would ordinarily say on the clemency
application?

ATTY. GEN. RENO: Again, in clemency matters, it is the
decision of the president and it is a matter
that should be discussed with the president.

Q Do you feel it's appropriate for Louis Freeh to be
making public comments on this?

ATTY. GEN. RENO: I think these matters should be confined
to discussions with the president.

ATTY. GEN. RENO: Again, I think what I do vis-a-vis the
president is a matter for the president to
reveal.

Q Ms. Reno, regarding Leonard Peltier, he was convicted,
and the FBI believes, that he stood over two
of their agents and killed them as they begged for their
lives. Do you know of any evidence that suggests
this is not the case?

ATTY GEN. RENO: I would not comment on the matter. Again,
the president is entitled to make a
decision based on the statements of the executive branch, and
anybody else that has relevant information.

And it's he that should make the comment.

Q Ms. Reno, a different case: As you know, an Algerian
named Dahoumane was indicted last January
for his alleged involvement with the New Year's Eve terrorist
plot.

And there are reports out today that he's
been arrested now after quite a long manhunt.

Can you confirm
that he has been arrested and can you
update us on the progress of this case?

ATTY GEN. RENO: I think it would be more appropriate for
Myron to tell you exactly what can and
can't be said.

Q Is the United States seeking his extradition?

ATTY GEN. RENO: I would not comment.

Q Ms. Reno, do you know how U.S. law enforcement will --
what their involvement or noninvolvement
will be in monitoring the trial in Yemen of the defendants
there?

I mean, is there anything in the
Memorandum of Understanding that you know about that provides
further access to this trial or anything
like that?

ATTY GEN. RENO: I think it would be more appropriate for
the people who were there to comment
on the ground.

Q How closely are you involved in decision-making as it
relates to Yemen?

ATTY GEN. RENO: I follow it daily.

Q You follow it, but are you -- do you call the shots; or
does the Bureau call the shots in this
investigation, or how does it work, given that it's an
international --

ATTY GEN. RENO: What we try to do in situations like this
is recognize that the chief of mission, the
ambassador, is the person representing the government in the
country involved; that the FBI works closely
with the ambassador; that where decisions involving issues
that the attorney general should confront, I
address those, but that it is a State Department issue with
respect to the ambassador and a law enforcement
issue with respect to the Bureau.

Q But with respect to the trial, wouldn't it be a Justice
Department issue to determine whether or not
prosecutors would be -- whether you would seek to have him sit
in on the trial; whether you would seek to
have them participate in a Yemeni trial?

ATTY GEN. RENO: Again, these are matters that the
ambassador should comment on. And we want
to try to work together with everybody to make sure that we --
to make sure that people are brought to
justice appropriately.

Q Ms. Reno, the -- (off mike) -- matter, which you've
talked about in the past, is that something you're
going to deal with, one way or another, before you leave
office?

And where do things stand?

ATTY GEN. RENO: I never comment on what I'm going to do,
when I'm going to do it, in situations
like that, because I don't know what information will be
developed.

Q Can you give us a sense of where things are? It was
something that -- I mean, many months have
passed.

ATTY GEN. RENO: I can give you a sense that it's pending.
And as you know, I really don't comment
on the details of the pending investigation.

Q Is it pending before you, Ms. Reno?

ATTY GEN. RENO: I don't know what yo mean by pending --

Q Has a recommendation been made to you in the case?

ATTY GEN. RENO: I don't discuss what recommendations have
been made.

I have been briefed on it.

Q Do you intend to address this issue before you leave
your post as attorney general?

ATTY GEN. RENO: I have been addressing it.

Q But do you intend to take action one way or another on
it?

ATTY GEN. RENO: I indicated to you I can't tell what I
will be able to and not do in the time I have
remaining.

Q Speaking of the time remaining, how much time do you
have remaining? Are you going to be here on
January 20th and turn out the lights and lock the door?

ATTY GEN. RENO: No, I'm not going to turn out the lights.
(Laughter.)

Q Pass the torch.

Q Well, I meant till the next person comes in. I mean, do
you know somewhat about the timing?

Are
you --

ATTY GEN. RENO: My goal is to make sure that whoever the
next president is and whoever the next
attorney general is, is afforded a smooth, supportive,
positive transition, and that we help them in every way
that we possibly can, as Stuart Gerson was kind enough to do
for me.

Q You'd like, then, to stay on and coach your
replacement?

ATTY GEN. RENO: I am sure the next attorney general won't
need coaching.

Q Okay.

Q Well, Stu Gerson was a holdover from the prior
administration, and that's what -- and he was acting
for a longer time than is normal because it took the president
a while to find you.

Is there somebody here
who is going to become acting AG? Are you going to leave and
designate somebody to perform that function?

ATTY GEN. RENO: We will work it all out with the next
administration, whoever it is, and try to work
it out, as the previous administration worked it out with
ours, as to how it should be done.

Q Do you think that process is going to be more difficult
because of the shortened time frame that we're
dealing with?

ATTY GEN. RENO: I want to do everything I can to make
sure that we respond, shortened time frame
or not, to ensure that the next administration, whoever it may
be, is provided every possible support and
step necessary to ensure a smooth transition. And then it will
be up to them to decide whether they -- but I
really want to do it in the spirit that Mr. Gerson did with me
and make sure that questions are answered,
that matters are reviewed, that we touch on the critical
points that are pending so that there is a smooth
transition.

Q So it could well be that the time of your resignation
may not be the time that you vacate.

You may be,
would you say, working with, coordinating with a new group of
people?

Is this possible that you will pass
the 20th?

ATTY GEN. RENO: I think you probably -- I'm not sure what
people would say.

I think that's a
decision that the next president must make, the next attorney
general must make.

But it's my intention to do
it the right way, to go home on the 20th and hope that we have
in place at that time an attorney general.

And then the other thing that I've learned is you never make
final judgments.

But I really hope that we have an attorney general in
place, and then I want to give him or her my full
support, and then be gone.

Q Have you decided what you'll do when you --
(inaudible)?

ATTY GEN. RENO: I keep talking about what I will do when
I grow up. (Laughter.)

I'm not sure.

I've
not made any plans or contacts because I've not wanted to
create any situation that might create an ethical
conflict, and I've wanted to devote my full attention to
winding this up the right way.

Q Well, what do you -- (inaudible) -- what do you think
will be the biggest issues that your successor
will assume are? Are there two or three or four that you would
put at the top of the priority list, aside from
obviously specific investigations, just generally?

ATTY GEN. RENO: It will depend on who the next attorney
general is and who the next president is
and what their priorities are.

Q Ms. Reno, how did you feel this week as you no doubt
saw on television or read in the newspapers
about Elian Gonzalez's birthday and his visit with Fidel
Castro in Cuba? And were you --

ATTY GEN. RENO: I didn't see it.

Q Didn't see it?

ATTY GEN. RENO: No.

Q Were you aware that it was his birthday this week?

ATTY GEN. RENO: No.

Q Oh. Okay.

(Pause. Laughter.)

Q Excuse me. Ms. Reno, once again, when should we expect
the last press availability?

ATTY GEN. RENO: January the 18th.

Q January the 18th, is that right? (Laughter.)

ATTY GEN. RENO: And you all better be prepared to answer
some questions. (Laughter.)

Q But you're definitely going to do that?

ATTY GEN. RENO: I'd like to try. Let us hope that there
is time and you'll give me time to ask your questions.

ATTY GEN. RENO: I think there are some interesting
questions to be asked. How do we -- it has
been interesting for me to see how you ask such good
questions, you ask such searching questions, but you
do so with great civility and in a thoughtful way that I think
goes to the ultimate issue of how we all play our
roles in supporting this democracy and making sure that
freedom of the press is protected.

And so I've got
some questions in mind.

Q We plan to be a lot tougher on your successor.
(Laughter.)

ATTY GEN. RENO: Well, it will be interesting to see what
they do in terms of Thursday morning press
availabilities. (Laughter.)

Q (Inaudible.)

ATTY GEN. RENO: Oh, I told Myron this morning, I said,
"Myron, every Thursday morning for the
rest of my life, I will think of you, Bert and Carl --"
(laughter) "-- with the two mikes thrown in and then
Beverley." (Laughter.)

Q Would you recommend weekly sessions to your successor?

ATTY GEN. RENO: I have found them extremely helpful. You
prod me.

You cause me to look at
something that I might not have looked at.

You cause me to try
to figure out how I explain something in
ways that people can, and a manner that people can understand
and appreciate.

My biggest regret is that
this is a subject matter -- many of these areas cover subject
matters that involve pending investigations, and
you get an awful lot of "no comment"s.

And I think that would
be frustrating, but I think you've generally
understood why I've tried to do that.

So, I wake up on Thursday mornings and wonder why I do it
-- (laughter) -- but I'm very glad and I've
appreciated the opportunity very much.